Pail type shipping container



Feb. 23, 1965 F E. ULLMAN ETAL 3,170,593

PAIL TYPE SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed June 5, 1964 INVENTORS FREDERICK E. ULLMAN PHILLIP C. URASKY United States Patent 3,170,593 PAIL TYPE SHIPPING CONTAINER Frederick E. Ullman, Winnetka, and Phillip C. Urasky,

Chicago, Ill., assignors to Inland Steel Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Original application Aug. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 216,136. Divided and this application June 5, 1964, Ser. No.

3 Claims. (Cl. 22091) The present invention relates to a container and more particularly to an improved hollow ear and bail construction therefor. This application is a division of our copending application Serial No. 216,136, filed August 18, 1962, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

In the steel shipping container industry a common type of shipping container is known as an open head container or pail and is conventionally provided with a bail diametrically pivoted on ears welded or otherwise aflixed to the sides of the container. Such containers, in two to seven gallon sizes, are conventionally reinforced by deforming the wall into one or more ridges or beads and are provided with covers which are crimped to a curl formed along the upper edge.

It is desirable, in order to avoid waste space, and to prevent damage during transit, for the containers to be placed bead-to-bead. However, this condition is difficult to achieve since, in the conventional ear and bail design, the bails, when in lowered position, extend substantially beyond the profile of the container and interfere with adjacent containers. 7

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container having an improved hollow ear and bail construction in which the bail may be swung to its upraised position without interference with the bead, curl, uncrimped or crimped-on cover, but which nevertheless permits the bail to be swung downwardly into a closely nested position about the container without projecting substantially beyond the containerprofile, thereby permitting similar containers to be nested compactly to getherbead-to-bead. It is a related object to provide a container having an improved ear and bail construction which avoids any possibility of the'bail of one container rubbing against the side wall. of an adjacent container during shipment or handling thereby to deface the paint, decoration or labelling on the outside of the adjacent container. It is still another object of the. present invention to provide a container having an improved ear and hail construction in which little or no care need be exercised during handling or packing and in which it is not necessary to orient one container carefully with respect to the adjacent ones.

Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel ear and hail construction which is inexpensive, but in which the ears may be easily attached by spot welding or the like while providing high inherent strength so that materials of high density may be safely transported.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view' of a container having the ear and bail constructed in accordance with the present invention withthe bail-shown in a downward position and with a fragmentary portion of another container stored in bead-to-bead relation therewith.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view showing an ear and bail construction according to the present invention and wherein camming of the bail as the latter is moved between its limit positions is accomplished by coaction between the bent over tip portions at the ends of the bail and the cars.

ICC

FIG. 2a is a section taken substantially along the line 2a2a in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a right hand side view of the ear and bail of FIG. 2 showing the bail clearing the bead and curl as the bail is moved to its upward position. i

' FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 2, but here depicting the bail in the lowered position.

FIG. 4a is a section taken substantially along the line 4a--4a in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating details of the bail construction.

While the invention has been described in connection with a certain preferred embodiment, it will be understood that we do not intend to be limited to the illustrated embodiments, but intend to cover the various alternative and equivalent constructions included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawings, a typical shipping container or pail 10 of the type under discussion has a cylindrical side wall 11 and bottom wall 12. At the upper edge or lip of the container is an outwardly projecting curl 13 (FIG. 3) which serves as a seat for a crimp type cover 15. The latter is formed with a plurality of lugs 16 which are seated around the curl by a suitable crimping machine well known to those skilled in the art.

. Where hermetic sealing is required, a ribbon of sealing compound 17 or a suitable gasket may be provided inside the edge of the cover. To open the cover the lugs 16 are simply pried outwardly by a suitable prying tool inserted into the slots which are formed in'the lugs.

For the purpose of reinforcing the side wall, particularly against crushing or deformation during shipment, and to enable use of a thinner gauge metal than would otherwise be possible, an upper bead 21 is formed adjacent the upper end of the container and an optional second head 22 is formed adjacent the base. These beads are preferably of the same radial height. Preferably, also, the height of the beads slightly exceeds that of the curl by an amount which is substantially equal to the thick ness of the covermetal so that the containers may seat cover-to-cover as well as bead-to-bead for protection during shipment.

For convenient carrying and handling of the container a curved bail30 is provided which has; a handle 25 made of wood or plastic. The bail 30 is suitably curved throughout itsentire length except for the central fiat which mounts the handle 25 and is of'such height that bending stresses resulting fromicarrying a loadedpail do not cause substantial inward deformation of the bail. The bail engages a pair of ears 31 (only one exemplary ear being shown) secured to the side wall of the container.

engages the opening 35 in the cup. The bail is outward ly sprung to maintain the ends 41, 42 in seated position and the ends are bent over at their tips as indicated at 43 to prevent accidental removal from the opening 35.

In accordance with the present invention, cam surfaces are formed inside of the cup 31 for engaging the lower ends of the bail and for camming such ends outwardly away from the container when the bail is swung to its upraised position so that the bail clears the bead, curl, and cover and so that when the bail is swung downwardly into lowered position the bail is free to assume a closely nested v relation with respect to the container wall, free of contact with adjacent containers. The central portion of the ear vwith adjacent Containers.

3 is formed with an upraised portion 51 and a lower, sector shaped, portion 52 with the upper and lower'portions being connected by tapered portions or ramps 50 which are of sector shape, thus forming the cam surfaces inside of the hollow ear. The bail is outwardly sprung so that the bent over tip, indicated at 43 presses outwardly and the surfaces are so orientedthat when the bail is upraised as shown in FIG. 2, the bent over tip 43'is adjacent the high portion 51 i.e., it is displaced from the ramps 50 by approximately 90. Under such conditions the bail is spread apart and capable of clearing the bead curl and cover as shown in FIG. 3. However, when the bail is swung downwardly to the left as viewed in FIG. 4 and to the position shown, the bent over tip 43 is cammed inwardly by the lowermost one of the ramps 50 so that, at theend of the swing, the tip 43 is held in by the lower portion 52 of the ear, thus minimizing the width of the bail and causing the same to assume a closely nested relation with respect to the container wall, free of contact It is, of course, understood that when the bail is swung downwardly to the right, as viewed in FIG. 4, the bent overtip 43is likewise cammed inwardly, however in this instance, by the uppermost one of the ramps 50, so that at the end of the swing thetip 43 is held in by the lower portion 52 of the ear.

The maximum projection of the cup may be made just suflicient, having in mind the curvature of the bail and the geometry of the cover, to produce a slight clearance 56 at the edge of the cover. The bail 30, as stated, is desirably curved throughout its entire lengthexceptfor the central flat whichmounts the handle 25. If desired, clearance at 56 may be increased as necessary in order to clear the lugs16 of the cover in their uncrimped or priedout positions, thereby enabling the cover to be temporarily replaced while still permitting normal use of the bail. In conventional constructions where thejbail has sufficient span to clear the lugs, interference of the bail with adjacent pails unavoidably occurs when the bail is in lowered position. If. a conventional bail were made non-interfering in the down position, the uncrimpedlugs would tend to block the swing of the bail to vertical position which would constitute, a nuisance to the pail manufacturer or filler.

,Prior to crimping, and when the pail is shipped from the manufacturer to the user or filler, the lugs occupy the pression, decal, or the like, they must be stored as compactly as possible untiluse. In the present construction,

since the bail '30 is uniformly curvedand occupies a closely nested position against the cylindrical wall,'the

containers may be packed bead-to-bead with no contact between the hail of one of the containers and the side wall of another. Moreover, since the bail isin a completely out-of-the-way position, the containers may be utilize the bail since a filled container has substantial weight, on the order of sixty-five pounds or more, depend-:

ing upon the material which it contains. As the handle is swung upwardly, the camming surfaces of the ears cause the ends of the bail to ride outwardly onto the upraised portion 51 so that when the handle is straight up the ends of the bail are in a spread apart position which insures clearing the bead and cover. Conversely, in depositing the container the handle is swung downwardly causing the ends of the bail to ride inwardly onto thelower portions 52 of the cups and with the handle resting against the side of the container. Since the handle and the ears together occupy, such a small portion of the total periphery, no difliculty will be found in stacking pails adjacent one another without handle-to-handle or ear-to-ear interference. Consequently, the containers may be stacked together without the necessity of taking particular caution to avoid bail-to-bail contact. The construction therefore brings about a degree of economy because of the reduction in handling labor and in the saving of handling time and also because of, the reduction in volume vof storage required. Moreover, since the bails are prevented from scratching or denting the painted or labeled surfaces of adjacent containers, each of the containers is more likely to remain in perfect condition until it reaches the hands of the customer. Railshipping damage is minimized with bead-to-bead packing since each container presents its reinforced beads to the adjacent containers to'take up impact.

To assist onein practicing the present invention and in making minor changes in the construction without, however, departing from the present invention, it will be help ful to keep in mind the following general principles. In the first place, the reinforcing bead, or beads, on the pail should extend beyond the body of the pail by a sufficient distance to provide clearance for the ear and-bail between adjacent pails when the bail is in the down position. Moreover, the ears should .extend outwardly from the body a sufiicient amount to force or permit the bail ends to be moved outwardly from the body a distance sufficient to provide the required clearance between the bail cam surface follow-up which .occurs on the return stroke.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a shipping container the combination comprising a sidewall having an upper edge, a cover seated on said upper edge and projecting outwardly beyond the side wall, a pair of ears secured to the sidewall and extending radially outward therefrom, said ears having openingscentrally formed therein, a bail having inwardly extending and aligned end portions for engaging the openingsin said ears, said aligned end portions terminating in substantial ly right angular bent-over. tips, each of said ears having an integrally formed internal cam-like surface, arranged in the path of movement of thetips, said cam surfaces being displaced approximately from said tips when said bail is in its uppermost position, said bail being outwardly sprung so that when the bail is raised the end portions of the bail are cammed'radially outward by said surfaces to 'clear the cover and so that when the bail ,is swung downwardly the ends of .the'bail are cammed radiallyinward by said surfaces for closely nested positioning of the bail substantially within the profile of the containerand cover.. V

2 In a shipping container the combination comprising a sidewall having an upper edge, a cover seated .on said upper edge and projecting outwardly beyond the sidewall, a pair of ears secured to the side wall'and extending out therefrom, said ears being formed of cups having openings centrally formed therein, each of-said cups having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper andlower portions being interconnected by ramps forming cam sur-- faces inside of said cups, a bail having inwardly extending and aligned end portions for engaging the openings in said ears, said alined end portions terminating in substantially right angular bent-over tips, said cam surfaces being displaced approximately 90 from said tips when said bail is in its uppermost position, said bail being outwardly sprung for pressing said tips against said surfaces so that when the bail is raised the bail tips ride outward on said surfaces to clear the cover and so that when the bail is swung downwardly the bail tips ride inwardly on said surfaces for closely nested positioning of the bail substantially within the profile of the container and cover.

3. In a shipping container the combination comprising a cylindrical wall, the upper edge of the wall being formed into an outwardly extending curl, an upper bend formed in the wall near the upper edge of the container, a pair of ears located in diametrically-opposite positions on the wall of the container immediately below the upper bead, each of said ears being secured to the wall of the container by welding or the like, each of said ears having a central opening formed therein, a bail of generally semicircular shape having inwardly bent end portions for engaging the openings in said ears, said end portions terminating in substantially righ angular bent-over tips, each of said ears having an integrally formed cam surface inside of the ear, said cam surfaces being displaced approximately from said tips when said bail is in its uppermost position, and said bail being outwardlysprung for pressing said tips against said surfaces so that when the bail is swung to an upraised position said bail tips ride outward on said surfaces and said bail clears the bead, curl and cover and so that when the bail is swung downwardly for shipment said I bail tips ride inwardly on said surfaces for closely nested positioning of the bail adjacent the wall of the container.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 211,056 12/78 Nopheys 22091 597,051 1/98 Danz 22095 1,910,426 5/33 Courtright 2205 9 2,106,175 1/38 Hothersall 22091 THERON E. CONDON, PrimaryExaminer. 

3. IN A SHIPPING CONTAINER THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL WALL, THE UPPER EDGE OF THE WALL BEING FORMED INTO AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING CURL, AN UPPER BEND FORMED IN THE WALL NEAR THE UPPER EDGE OF THE CONTAINER, A PAIR OF EARS LOCATED IN DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE POSITIONS ON THE WALL OF THE CONTAINER IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE UPPER BEAD, EACH OF SAID EARS BEING SECURED TO THE WALL OF THE CONTAINER BY WELDING OR THE LIKE, EACH OF SAID EARS HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING FORMED THEREIN, A BAIL OF GENERALLY SEMICIRCULAR SHAPE HAVING INWARDLY BENT END PORTIONS FOR ENGAGING THE OPENINGS IN SAID EARS, SAID END PORTIONS TERMINATING IN SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGULAR BENT-OVER TIPS, EACH OF SAID EARS HAVING AN INTEGRALLY FORMED CAM SURFACE INSIDE OF THE EAR, SAID CAM SURFACES BEING DISPLACED APPROXIMATELY 90* FROM SAID TIPS WHEN SAID BAIL IS IN ITS UPPERMOST POSITION, AND SAID BAIL BEING OUTWARDLY SPRUNG FOR PRESSING SAID TIPS AGAINST SAID SURFACES SO THAT WHEN THE BAIL IS SWUNG TO AN UPRAISED POSITION SAID BAIL TIPS RIDE OUTWARD ON SAID SURFACES AND SAID BAIL CLEARS THE BEAD, CURL AND COVER AND SO THAT WHEN THE BAIL IS SWUNG DOWNWARDLY FOR SHIPMENT SAID BAIL TIPS RIDE INWARDLY ON SAID SURFACES FOR CLOSELY NESTED POSITIONING OF THE BAIL ADJACENT THE WALL OF THE CONTAINER. 